


The Triforce of Power

by BeetleQueen



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Dark Magic, F/F, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fate, Fate & Destiny, Ghosts, Grannies, Heroes, Kings & Queens, Legends, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Monsters, Multi, Other, Spirit Guides, Spirit World, Spirits, Swords, Twins, matriarchal societies, pig monster
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 12:30:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4221792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeetleQueen/pseuds/BeetleQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU concentrating on Ganondorf, Demise, and whether history can be rewritten...<br/>Features original characters. Includes details and locations from many Zelda games, all on one map.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Monsters and Maidens

**Author's Note:**

> • Main song of the soundtrack for this fic is Electric Six - Watching Evil Empires Fall Apart  
> • Ganondorf is Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf, and leader of the Gerudo tribe who reside in the desert.  
> • Goes by the OOT rules that a king is born every 100 years, and Gerudo women travel to Hyrule (or other provinces) to find men to continue the line.  
> • Not all Gerudo live in the desert, some have taken up residence all over the map, the most notable of which being Telma, who runs her own tavern in Castle Town.  
> • The Postman will make (many) appearances.  
> • As will Tingle.  
> • Cookies, and cream tea for anyone who gets the yeti reference when I mention it... (hint, it's Finnish~)

What on Din's earth was that racket?!

Ganondorf grumbled to himself, half tempted to turn his horse around. He'd missed breakfast, and every nerve in his body was prickling in rage. _Hunger rage..._  He could practically hear his mothers' "I told you so..." echoing around his head in stereo.

Usually he wouldn't leave the fortress on an empty stomach, but the sandstorm the day before had kept him from giving his horse some exercise, and said horse had a tendency to get as grumpy as it's master.

The sand whipped at his face, and trying his best to ignore it, he pressed on. More screaming... At least it was getting louder, so he knew he was heading in the right direction. Suddenly a bokoblin ran into his horse, bouncing off.

"What?" The Gerudo king huffed, barely fazed.

"A monster!" It squeaked, jumping up and down. It waved it's stick above it's head, the tiny red eyes that were visible, glowing in terror.

"And..?" Did he not realise he was a little monster speaking to the king of monsters who was riding a monster horse..?! It took every bit of self control not to scream sometimes...

"It's..." The bokoblin ran behind Ganondorf's horse for cover. "I'm the only one left..."

This piqued the king's interest. Perhaps he'd been a little hard on the creature. But this just made no sense. He commanded all the evil creatures in this realm, and they answered only to _him._ What in the world was this 'thing', and why was it attacking his men?

"Stay behind me - but don't whine if Skull Smasher gets spooked." The little bokoblin jumped to the side, making sure not to get in the way of the horse's massive hind-legs. It had a propensity to rear kick, even when it _wasn't_ afraid... And it always seemed to aim for your head... "Onward." Ganondorf barked, and the horse promptly started up again, heading in the direction the bokoblin was pointing.

"THERE IT IS- wait..." The little creature leaned in, trying to get a better look, but not daring a step forward. "That's not the monster..! But what is it..?"

"Looks like a corpse. Go fetch it." The Gerudo smiled. Seeing his lackey visibly hesitant, he sweetened the deal. "If it has any weapons or jewellery, you get first pick." If it was really nice stuff, he'd just change his mind, and have it all anyway. But it seemed to do the trick, and the bokoblin rushed over.

"Master..?" The little creature, prodded whatever it was with it's foot. "I think it's..."

"You think it's what?" Ganondorf snapped.

"Not dead."

* * *

 "She's waking up!"

There were a few more hushed whispers as the young woman stirred out of her sleep with a snore.

"Out of my way, out of my way..." Came a snappy voice.

"Yes, do make room!" Came an almost identical one.

"W-Where am I..?" The stranger, finally awake, sat up in surprise. Taking a looking around the room, she noted there were quite a few Gerudo ladies, of varying ages. She could tell by their flame red hair, and yellow eyes. In front of her were also a pair of what seemed like identical twins, who must've been Gerudo as well. They both had yellow eyes, but their skin wasn't a warm tan, more of a greenish shade...

"Gerudo Fortress, dear, now do be still..." The twins went about poking and prodding her, and as tempted as she was to put up some kind of fight, she'd always been told to respect her elders. "Ahh... Very interesting..."

"What is..?"

"Nothing dear, just talking to myself..." One of them giggled.

"What's a little mountain girl doing all the way in the desert?" The other twin piped up.

 "How did you-"

"Your clothes, dear." Koume chuckled. "We've no need for fur in this part of Hyrule. No wonder you fainted in the desert..."

"And what business do you have here, child?" Kotake pried, edging ever closer. "You have a name, I presume?"

"Yes... Sorry, it's Freya." She nodded, not knowing who to make eye contact with. "Oh... Was it one of you who found me? I'm ever so grateful, but I apologise for just showing up here without invitation..."

"Oh, it's no trouble..." Koume quickly stated. "We usually only get boring visitors from the castle anyway, so you're most welcome." She continued checking the girl over, muttering to herself.

"And we didn't find you." Kotake began. "The King did."

"Our son." Koume smiled sweetly.

"Oh..." Freya gulped. She'd heard terrible things about the man, but as far as she knew, they were all rumour. And as magical as this realm was - people didn't just turn into giant pig monsters. No. That would be _absurd..._

"You can thank him later at dinner for dragging your carcass through the desert." Nabooru smiled from the doorway.

"Nabs..." One of the other girls giggled.

"Oh, I'm joking, you'll get used to me." Nabooru winked. "Besides, I'm sure he could carry half the tribe without breaking a sweat." She relaxed, folding her arms. "I'm not sure what kind of stories spread around Hyrule, but... he's really not as bad as people say, just..."

"Grumpy." Koume chuckled. "Right, you look fine as far as I can tell. But drink this." She pushed a slightly glowing blueish potion towards Freya. "The journey here was a long one, and we can't know how long you were in that desert dehydrating. That'll see you right."

"Thank you." Freya took a sip. It tasted slightly salty, and to be honest, not pleasant at all, but she quickly downed the rest of it. Sure enough a few moments later she was already feeling more like herself. "That stuff really works..!" She exclaimed, eyeing the empty bottle.

"Yes, well witches are pretty good at potions, my girl." Koume smiled warmly. "If we have the ingredients, anything is possible."

"Now, I really am curious. Why is it you've come here?" Kotake jumped in, wishing to steer the conversation back to this topic.

"Well... I just can't go back home. Never again." Freya sighed, pausing a moment. "There's a monster..."

"Psh, monsters are everywhere, if you hadn't noticed..." Kotake sniffed.

"Yeah, they have their own union now!" Nabooru smiled. "And a dental plan..."

"Exactly!" The ice witch huffed. "Just because they look scary doesn't mean they _are._ "

"Now, you know as well as I do that some can be just as horrible as some people." Koume gave her sister a warning look. "Go on dear. What was this monster, and why did it force you to leave?"

"Well... My father died when I was only small, so it was just me and my mother. A few years later, she died too. In the forest surrounding our village." Freya paused. "As I grew up, all I heard were stories about this... _thing_ that lived there. The children - we weren't to go too deep into the woods. Our village elder had cast a protective circle around the forests to stop the monster getting out and... into the village."

The inhabitants of the room stayed silent, waiting for the girl to continue.

"Apparently when someone dared to go past the circle, they never came back out. I heard nothing but horror stories - villagers telling the children never to cross that circle. There are sign posts all over the place, marking it, just in case anyone strayed too far."

"That seems a bit much..." Nabooru mumbled, unconvinced.

"It does. I didn't believe it at first. I just assumed it was a scary story to keep the children out of the woods. It's full of wolfos, after all." Freya pressed on. "So, when I was a little older, I decided to go in and have a look for myself. I was growing suspicious of the whole thing. But then... _I saw it._ "

The twins leaned in slightly. "And..?" They both whispered. The rest of the girls in the room were all agog, listening intently.

"It was huge... Black all over... It had the whitest teeth that just gleamed against all that darkness."

The twins stilled. But it was **impossible!** Demise was residing in their son. But still... That sounded just like the Imprisoned.

"It turned to face me, and it had the whitest eyes. They were looking right at me..! And before I could run for my life, it just flew at me..!" She rubbed the back of her neck absentmindedly, her eyes frantic. "I turned and ran as fast as I could. I was so far from the edge of the circle that I didn't think I'd make it in time. It got so close I could feel it's breath on the back of my neck..."

"Oh no!!" One of the younger girls squeaked in fright.

"I saw one of the signs, and ran as fast as I could. Somehow I made it out. I kept running a while, and then turned around. It was stood right at the edge of that circle, just... _Staring_ at me... With those _eyes..._ " Freya sniffed remembering the fear she'd felt. "When I got home, I just hid under the covers. I kept daring a glance out of my window at the forest, hoping it had gone away, but it was always there..!" She bit her lip, sniffing. "Every time I looked, it was still looking right at me, from all that distance away." Freya shuddered.

"But you were but a child then. Why leave _now?_ " Kotake asked, her frosty demeanour warming somewhat.

"The elder who sealed it away died. His magic wasn't the strongest, and it must have faded with his passing. Before the funeral was even planned, that thing... It appeared in my house when I was about to leave. I've never been so terrified!"

"And so you fled?" Koume sighed, patting the girl's hand.

"Yes. It kept following. I turned around every hour, and I could still see it in the distance. I hoped if I went far enough that it would just give up..! And it's so hot here. I thought maybe..." She sighed. "I thought since it was a yeti-"

" _A yeti?!_ " The twins cried in surprise.

"Yes, well... Everyone said it was. Though we have some yetis up in the mountains, and they're nothing but kind. And this didn't look like one... But-"

" _But..?!_ " The twins squeaked in unison again.

"Well..." Freya turned slightly, pulling her dark hair away from the back of her neck. There was a blackened leathery mark marring her pale skin. "It's frostbite. From where it breathed on me. Only the yetis can do that."

"Yeti breath..." Kotake whispered, and Koume stared almost in adoration at the ugly mark.

"Oh we can fix that for sure." She beamed. "Can't we, sister?!"

"Yes." Kotake nodded vigorously. "You'll never know you had it."

"R-Really?" Freya couldn't believe it. They really were accomplished witches, then. Freya knew some spells and incantations, but they were basic at best.

"Really!" They grinned, nodding.

* * *

 "What pray tell has you this happy..?" Ganondorf eyed his mothers suspiciously.

"Oh it's been the best day!!!" They suddenly fused into Twinrova with a pop. "Ask me what happened. Go on. Ask!"

"I just did!" The giant man huffed.

"You missed breakfast didn't you?"

"Mother..." He grumbled. She always did this.

"Oh alright... You know that pretty little thing you found in the desert? Well she just blessed me with the best thing ever!"

"Which is..?" Ganondorf squinted, genuinely curious now.

"Oh, only the potion ingredient we ran out of years ago..." She giggled, holding up a small bottle. "Yeti breath!"

"Oh..." The Gerudo king rolled his eyes. "Well, try to ration it this time. Don't use it all up just because you have it again." He warned.

"Oh, I know..." Twinrova smiled adoringly at the bottle. Inside was a petrified black substance floating up and down menacingly. It had blueish edges, and an angry face. "It's so rare... And last time I asked the yetis, they got so grumpy about it. I was in two minds about making another trip so soon..."

"Hmph." Ganondorf nodded. "So our visitor is from the _mountains?_ That explains all that fur." Stupid fashion that side of the map... "And she's fine now?"

"Oh yes, she's up and about. The girls are showing her around the fortress." His mother nodded, a smile still in place.

"Good." He nodded curtly. "After what happened to my men out there, it was best to be sure."

"Yes, you were in a bit of a mood when you dropped her off. What exactly happened out there?"

"Apparently some kind of monster." He shrugged, missing his mother's suddenly widening eyes. "The troupe of bokoblins I sent out to guard the west edge of the desert were all wiped out, but one." It hadn't been a huge number, but it was still something that never happened these days. Not unless there was a war.

"And did you see it..?" Twinrova asked.

"No. Must've seen me coming and ran." He chuckled. "Everyone knows you don't attack my people and get away with it. Probably some idiot with a death wish, but I've sent teams of my strongest moblins out to find it. Whatever it is, it won't get away with such behaviour!"

"No, of course..."

"You seem quiet." Ganondorf paused in his tirade. "Everything alright?"

" _Well..._ "


	2. Gerudo History Lesson

Freya kept her eyes glued to the dish in front of her. She could feel the king's eyes on her, and as much as the Gerudo girls joked about his grumpiness, she still wasn't convinced that he was as harmless as they made him seem.

She chanced a quick look, and regretted it instantly when her eyes locked with his. He had a very penetrative stare, and she feared for a second that he could read her mind. Ducking her head down again, she was completely clueless to the fact that he stood from his side of the table, and began slowly walking toward her.

A few of the girls sniggered, and Freya looked up suddenly, choking back a squeak when she came face to face with the man.

"Uh..." She chided herself. He was a king. She should be apologising for something right..? She had been staring at him after all. Maybe he'd taken offence...

"You're very pale." Ganondorf simply said.

"Oh, well she's from the mountains." Nabooru chimed in, grinning. "The snow clouds block out the sun up there."

"Ah, so she's not sick."

"No..." Freya pouted, feeling as though everyone were talking for her. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Ganondorf stared at her, almost in surprise. He then let out a loud bark of laughter, making the new girl jump slightly.

"And she has a backbone!" He chuckled before grinning darkly. "For now..." Ganondorf then stalked off back to his end of the table.

"What did he mean by that..?" Freya whispered.

"You'll get used to him. He really _hams_ up the whole bad guy thing..."

" **I heard that.** " He boomed, but the evil atmosphere was broken as the girls continued laughing.

* * *

 

"This is a really lovely place... I never really got to see many sights or visit places until now." Freya smiled shyly as Nabooru and a few of the other girls showed her around the desert.

"I bet it's a culture shock." Aveil chimed in. She was a slender, but shorter Gerudo than Nabooru, and wore yellowy clothing. "I don't know how we'd handle a sudden move to the mountains."

"Yeah, this place is... definitely hotter. Even at night!"

"Really..? We find it quite cool at night." Aveil said. "The mountains must be _intolerable..._ No offense."

"Oh, none taken." Freya replied. "Sometimes the bath water could frost over, it went cold so fast... I much prefer it here! I hope I adjust to the heat more quickly though."

"Don't worry about that, you'll be fine before you know it." Nabooru assured her. "And it seems like the better transition. Like Aveil said; I have no idea how _we'd_ fare if we had to live in the mountains. Even a short trip there would be a hardship."

"And when the grannies have finished that sun blocking potion, you'll be able to ditch some of those layers! That'll cool you down for sure." Enul added. She wore her vibrant red hair in two high bunches, and preferred to wear purples and pinks.

"Yes, it's already more comfortable not having to wear half a dead bear most of the day." Freya giggled. Her hand-me-down wolfos slippers were also ditched, and she now wore much lighter flat heeled shoes.

"I can imagine." Nabooru, and the rest of the girls came to a stop. "Ah! There they are..." She smiled, gesturing for Freya to move closer. "Be really slow. These things spook easily..."

Freya inched forward, unsure of what she was supposed to be walking at. She paused when she noticed what looked like a swarm of insects. Taking a few slow steps again, she noticed they were in fact quite beautiful, and unlike anything she'd seen before. Their eyes reflected iridescently in the desert sun, and their wings sparkled like rupees!

"What are they..?"

"Gerudo dragonfly." Nabooru smiled. "They're the oldest living insect to survive this long... They were around long before our people."

"And you named them after the tribe?"

"Not exactly..." Aveil chuckled. "The tribe was named after _them._ " Freya looked puzzled. "Oh, Nabs can explain it better..."

"Well. Long ago, there was supposedly a land in the skies." She began. "This land was full of people that Hylia had sent to the heavens when evil began to wage it's war for the Triforce. Centuries later, the facts of the past became legend, and the sky people went on with their days, content with the little things, unknowing of the Triforce, their ancestors, or the surface below."

Everyone was listening to Nabooru intently by this point.

"Legend tells that the first hero was a boy from the sky, and that the first Zelda, the one the royal family now names their princesses after every generation, was also a girl from the sky - a reincarnation of Hylia herself. But the legend usually leaves out the greatest hero of all!" Freya leaned in. "The great Gerudo, Groose! He discovered this desert on his quest to aid the hero. Old texts say it was once a lush fertile place, but that was centuries before he even got there. When he did, it was mostly sand, monsters, and no shade for miles... Legend says he found a number of sacred stones that once struck brought the land back to it's ancient, beautiful state. And apparently those stones were used to forge time-altering musical instruments... But that's hearsay."

Freya was sure that rung a bell however, but stayed silent. She wanted to hear more about this Groose.

"The only thing we do know is that no matter how hard we've searched, there seem to be none of these stones in the desert at all. The common theory is that they're buried far too deep to get to, even if they do exist. We have an annual hunt, and in the past I believe it was taken very seriously, though it's become much more of a game now. Especially for the children. We hide bright blue crystals and blue rupees in the sand for them to find." She chuckled. "We're used to the desert as it is now. But it's nice to think about other possibilities..."

"What did he look like? Were there any ancient pictographs?" Freya asked.

"Sadly we don't have any. The sky people were said to be quite advanced, but whatever pictures he might have brought with him seem not to have lasted. Groose was said to have magnificent flame red hair, and eyes as gold as the sun. Those traits have been passed down to us. And so has the Gerudo gem."

"The gem?" Freya looked puzzled.

"The one the King wears on his forehead." Aveil whispered quickly.

"Groose was the first male of our people, and as many of us know, one man is only born every one hundred years. That man becomes King of the tribe when he reaches adulthood, and as the king, he wears the ancient gem on his forehead, along with the crown. The gem is handed down, as is the legend, so no one in the tribe forgets our past. There are so many things that can be lost of the sands of time."

"Like the dragonflies." Enul piped up. "We're always doing whatever we can to keep them alive. Not many plants thrive in the desert now, but there are a couple hardy species that they like to crowd around, and lay their eggs in safety." She gestured to the rather dry looking bushes the swarm were floating over. "And there are oasis spots scattered around where other bugs they feed on can thrive. We have to make sure their prey survives too..."

"I had no idea." Freya sighed. "It must be hard at times."

"Yes, but it's rewarding." Nabooru smiled. "We're helping keep the legends alive, and I'm sure Groose would be proud to know that centuries later, this piece of the past managed to remain, and that the tribe he founded still knew his name. We do a great disservice to the departed if we forget them. Their deeds, their victories... If they're completely forgotten, the soul cannot rest. At least that's what the Gerudo's believe. We pass down stories, and make sure everything is written, so that even centuries later, there is a chance someone will read them."

"That's so great. I fear a lot of my people's history was passed down only through word of mouth." Freya sighed. "Names of people change depending on who you speak to. Details got fuzzy, and merged until stories became convoluted... But there was a mention of some kind of ancient stone too."

"The same as ours?" Aveil leaned in.

"Well, I believe so. The stories said that a hero visited our mountains long ago. He brought with him a strange instrument that could bend and warp time itself. It sounds an awful lot like the instruments you mentioned just now. So the stones must really exist..!"

"They must be really buried deep then..." Enul chuckled. "What else did your people say about this hero?"

"He was just a child. There's even a rumour that our mountain, and a lot of the barren lands beyond it weren't even a part of Hyrule until some natural disaster occurred. It was part of a different dimension if you can believe it..." The Gerudo girls stayed silent, and Freya went on. "It was a land were the goddesses weren't even mentioned at all, and instead the people placed their trust in giants. They built a tower, that some say was destroyed once it reached Hyrule on account of it's sacrilegious appearance. The tower was thought to be seen as an abandonment of the goddesses since they hadn't appeared in a time of great need. Rather, the giants were the ones to create the four corners of that world, and in turn protect it. An imp was said to have caused immeasurable trouble to the people there, and the giants banished it, restoring order. After that, they were worshipped, and we believe the tower built in their honour."

"Wow... I don't remember any old tales of giants growing up..." Aveil mumbled. "But then the mountains seem awfully out of place considering past stories. We have a copy of the map Groose brought with him of the 'surface'. There was a lush green forest with rivers and lakes, a volcano, and a desert. No snow, and definitely no mountains... Maybe they _are_  from another land..." She mused.

"Maybe... It's all so hard to believe without any evidence." Freya conceded. "There's even rumours that the yetis are a strange evolution of the Gorons." She shrugged. "The other dimension was thought to be a parallel world to Hyrule, except where a volcano should have been, there were snow covered mountains. I don't know if I believe it. It seems so farfetched!"

"Yes, but never say never." Nabooru smiled. "Sometimes the most unbelievable things can happen from time to time..."


	3. Target Practice

Tingle. That weird little freak was floating around the desert. Again.  
  
Ganondorf grumbled to himself as he watched the little shit scribbling on a piece of parchment. He was always trying to add the Gerudo Valley to his cartography collection - except the king of said Gerudos wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea.  
  
On five separate occasions he'd bellowed at the weirdo to get lost, citing 'private land' or 'ancestral heritage', but none of that stopped Tingle.  
  
Well it was the sixth time now - far more leniency than he would've given anyone. Usually people got one chance, and one chance only. But as things stood, his reputation needed to stay clean. Or at least clean enough that if he were to flip, they couldn't say it was knee jerk...

'He drove him to it...' They'd say. 'Poor Ganondorf...' They'd say.

"YOU THERE!" He huffed, pointing at the green clad man. "THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!" He paused. "DO YOU HEAR ME?"  
  
"Of course I hear you, oh sour man-pig~" Tingle chuckled, never pausing in his scribblings. "But I see something very interesting from this angle, oh yessss..."  
  
Ganondorf fumed, biting his lip. "ONE." He pouted. " ** _TWO..._** "  
  
"What's he yelling at..?" Freya stared from some distance away, nudging Nabooru. There was no one there...  
  
"Tingle." The Gerudo woman smirked, pointing up with a slender finger. Freya then noticed the little balloon, and nodded.  
  
"Ahhh... Yes, he used to fly around the mountains, making maps of the inaccessible areas. They were very useful."  
  
"Yes, well there's much of the desert, and much _in_ it that we'd like to keep secret." Enul joined in. "If the rest of Hyrule knew, then we'd be out of business."  
  
Freya was about to enquire further, when the king's voice rang out again.  
  
"THREE! THAT'S IT, YOUR TIME IS UP!" He hollered, shaking his fists childishly at the skies.  
  
"W-What's he going to do..?" Freya gulped.  
  
"Get rid of the doofus once and for all, hopefully... He never gives up..." Aveil murmured as they drew closer to the commotion.  
  
"FATTY CAN'T HIT ME, I'M WAY UP HERE!" Tingle cackled, smacking his rear at the man, taunting him.  
  
"He should not have done that..." Enul whispered to Freya. But Freya wasn't convinced. How could the king instil any punishment on a tiny man floating hundreds of meters above him?  
  
She was about to find out.  
  
Tingle screeched, floating out of the way just in the nick of time as a black pulsing wave of magic flew at him.  
  
" ** _Ughhhh..._** " Ganondorf seethed, clenching his fists. He'd been so hotheaded, he'd forgotten to factor in the wind. "Hn..?" His ears suddenly perked up when there was a crunching sound in the distance.  
  
A boulder, hit with the magic that was meant to evaporate Tingle, began to hurtle it's way down the nearby rock face. When it finally came to a stop, Ganondorf groaned, dragging a hand over his face.  
  
"Nice job, blocking the only water supply to the village." Nabooru snapped, hands on her hips. "If you weren't so _pig-headed-_ "  
  
"Nag, nag, nag; you're worse than my mothers." He huffed, watching Tingle float away.  
  
"Yeah well, we're not helping move it. Are we, girls?"  
  
"Nope!" The other two Gerudo giggled. Freya stood there in bewilderment. Should she sass the king..? It was tempting, seeing his face growing more and more pink...  
  
"I... Have no upper body strength, sorry..." She mumbled, averting her eyes. Nabooru laughed loudly at the new girl's lack of moxie. It would soon come, though, she was sure...  
  
"Well, you can all be useless **elsewhere** , then!" The king grunted, traipsing off to the wreckage.  
  
"We Gerudo always fix our own mistakes." Nabooru whispered to Freya. "Even the _Kings..._ "  
  
"Besides, he's got the Triforce of Power." Enul shrugged. "It's like moving furniture for him."  
  
Freya watched in awe as the king shrugged off his cloak, his bronzed green skin rippling with muscles, his arms covered in fading scars. With an unnerving ease, he began pushing the boulder out of the way.  
  
Aveil suddenly giggled.  
  
"What..?" Freya blinked.  
  
"He's a fine specimen, but you don't have to stare so much~"  
  
"I-I wasn't..!!"  
  
"Oh, she's teasing..." Nabooru grinned. "But you might like this next part..." She pointed to the king, trying not to double over laughing.  
  
Freya watched, puzzled, but then nearly howled with laughter as the sudden gush of pent up water from the other side hit the king like a train, forcing him to stumble back.  
  
He looked like a soaked remlit.  
  
"HAPPY NOW?!" He bellowed, stomping off back to the settlement, his boots making an unkingly squelch with every step.

* * *

 Freya played with her food, staring at the king. He still seemed grumpy about the day's previous events - he'd only had three desserts.

Though for some reason, she wanted to see the cocky look back on his face again. Maybe if she were to... Ahh, yes, that _could_ work...

"Uhh..." She wiggled in her seat slightly. "Nabooru..? I was wondering..."

"Uhuh?" The Gerudo was polishing off her own plate beside her.

"Do you think I could learn archery..?"

"You?" Nabooru suddenly stopped, turning to stare at the girl. Well... She didn't look the fierce warrior type, but she had to hand it to her, wanting to learn. And she'd be learning from the best... "Yeah, sure!" She smiled. "Finish up your meal, and we'll head out to the shooting range."

* * *

 "Oh dear..." Freya squeezed her eyes shut. The first arrow of the day to actually leave her bow at a distance instead of just dropping to the floor - and it'd gone right through a dark nut's rear armour...

"Oh, he'll be fine. That's what red potions are for..." Aveil cackled. "Try again! You're getting the hang of it now."

"Alright..." The next arrow missed the target, but it hit the ground a few meters away. "OH!" She smiled, triumphant.

"There you go!" Enul clapped.

"What's all this beastly noise..." Ganondorf suddenly appeared as if from thin air, causing Freya to jump.

"Well, you'd know all about _beastly..._ " Nabooru sassed. Ganondorf merely rolled his eyes, ignoring the comment.

"Our new girl is maiming the soldiers~" Aveil tittered, pointing at the retreating dark nut, holding it's rump with both hands.

"Well then, he deserved it if he couldn't get out of the way of a _novice..._ " The king huffed. Freya tried not to take his words to heart. She was a complete novice anyway, so couldn't be offended.

"Ugh, look who's back..." Enul whined.

"YOU AGAIN!" Ganondorf screamed at the clouds.

"Oh yessss, this angle is even better than before! I can see all your Gerudo _secrets_ from here..." Tingle teased.

OK, she hadn't expected him to show up so soon, but the king was here to see it, and she had the bow and arrow... Hopefully half an hour of terrible practice would impress Ganondorf.

Freya took aim, trying to square up her shot. She aimed for the balloon, and...

"I'M HIT!" Tingle cried out, flailing. Ganondorf swerved around, staring with barely disguised amazement at a mortified Freya. She'd meant to hit the balloon, not _him._

"SPECTACULAR SHOT!" The king laughed heartily, jostling Freya's shoulders, before leaning in with possibly the most menacing voice she'd ever heard. " ** _Now finish him..._** "

The bow fell with a thud to the floor, and she ran as fast as she could away, tears threatening to fall down her face.

"Oh nice going, scrub-for-brains." Nabooru tsked. "Hey, Freya, wait up!" She ran off, and Aveil and Enul tailed behind her.

"What did I do...?!" Ganondorf huffed, pouting somewhat. Tingle then fell with a thud next to him. The arrow that had barely skimmed his twig-like arm had also grazed the balloon, and after a few minutes enough air had lazily escaped that he dropped out of the air.

"I'M DYING!" The strange man squealed, flailing in the sand.

"I WISH I WERE THAT LUCKY!" Ganondorf snapped.

* * *

 Freya had locked herself in the storage room. Well... She'd shoved a box in front of the door, and sat on it, sniffling.

"Freya..?" Nabooru's voice got closer, and she almost shrank away from the sound.

"In... Here..." She sniffed loudly.

"Hey, you." Nabooru smiled, leaning against the door. "Tingle's fine; he's in the infirmary right now. You barely grazed him. He's just playing up to the crowd now. No one's buying it."

"Is she in there..?" Enul and Aveil had rounded the corner.

"Yup." Nabooru tapped on the door. "Come on out now." There was a loud noise from the other side as Freya pushed the box away.

"So he's not dead..?" She wiped her nose, bleary eyed.

"Hell no!" Enul squeaked. "He's got a booboo at best. Don't beat yourself up about it!"

"Oh... I thought the worst..."

"Well, at least you're not as lousy a shot as we thought you were." Nabooru gave Aveil a soft glare. "Well she's not! She'd probably be pretty good with a bit more practice."

"Maybe... Just promise there won't be any live targets. Or people anywhere near."

"Deal!" Aveil smiled. "You totally gained some points with the G-man, though. You pissed off the thorn in his side; you'll probably get a parade in your honour~"

Freya really liked the girls, but she wasn't about to admit how thrilled that idea made her. What if it spread around camp? What if the king found out?! She wasn't about to feel ashamed for her misplaced attraction. It would be impossible not to find the man an absolute delight to look at. But as far as she was concerned, it could go no further. Nope. He was just a good looking guy that she could sneak a quick look at every now and then.

Besides, there was no way that he'd ever feel the same about her.

* * *

 The king of the Gerudos was leaning against the outside of the infirmary door, a strange dopey look on his face. **_Imagine if she'd hit his jugular..._** a dark voice in his head sighed, dreamily. _Mmm..._

"Wakey wakey, eggs and..."

"Don't you dare." Ganondorf grunted.

"Feh." Twinrova glided around him, tauntingly. "You've got your mind on something, I can tell."

"I'm a king; my mind is on many things."

 _Boring..._ Twinrova rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to make a deal with that little fool? We can't have him blabbing our secrets..."

"I'll scare him into submission, don't you worry about a thing." Ganondorf nodded. "When I'm done with him, he won't be able to step foot on sand, let alone **look** at it..." He grinned.

"You're gonna bury him up to the neck in sand, aren't you..." His mother tsked. "You always do that - be more creative!"

" **WELL, IT ALWAYS WORKS.** " The king snapped. "Besides, you think of something better."

* * *

Tingle screamed for his life as 'Volvagia' flew him into the sky.

"HEEEEEEEEELPPPPP MEEEEEE!!!"

"Oh, I can't hear a thing up there..." Twinrova chuckled. "Speak up, little one! My ears aren't what they used to be~" She winked.

"PLEEEEEEEASE! I BEG OF YOUUU!!!" The tiny man writhed, trying to break free of the dragon.

"Promise you'll never come near this desert again, and maybe I shall show some mercy..."

"I PROMISE! PLEASE! JUST PUT ME DOOOWN!!!" He cried.

"OK." Twinrova shrugged, snapping her fingers. The 'dragon' let go of Tingle, and the little man screamed as he flew through the air towards what he thought was certain doom. At the last second, the dragon appeared in time to break his fall, snatching him up by the nape of his little costume. "Thank you Volga, that was very kind of you to postpone your war duties to attend to this miscreant." She blew a kiss after the beast transformed into a man.

"Always happy to do your bidding, ma'am." He bowed low, with a smirk.

"Alright! Off you go, dear!" She chuckled, shooing the young man away. My, he was a dream to look at... Though she expected as such after giving her son grief about the unsightly people he employed. 'Get a cute one!' She'd nagged. And of course, when Ganondorf knew she'd never shut up about it, he absconded with the dragon of Death Mountain, cursing it into what his mother called 'a hunk'.

He sometimes regretted that... But at least Volga's presence had done what it had to. Tingle apologised profusely, promising to never darken the desert's doorway again, and never breath a word (or write any account) of what he'd seen. And since it was a verbal agreement, he'd unknowingly entered into a bargain under which he would be executed, lest he go back on his word...

Something Ganondorf delighted in telling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hadn't noticed. Ganondorf's speech turns to bold when Demise's influence takes a hold of him~ ;)


	4. Revelations

Freya quickly dressed herself in the washroom, and made her way back to the sleeping quarters. It saved time, and embarrassment.  
  
As much as she felt at home here, she wasn't confident enough to dress, and undress with the other ladies.  
  
"Oh, so it fits!" Nabooru smiled as the new girl appeared. They'd finally found a left over sleeping gown for her. Most of the Gerudo women slept naked anyway. As cool as the nights were, they had underfloor heating, and fireplaces, so it got rather toasty the higher you got in the fortress.  
  
"Yes, it's great. Thank you." Freya nodded, tucking herself up in bed.  
  
And after a bit of chattering, and gossip, the girls were quickly asleep.

* * *

Freya jumped when she heard a commotion outside their door.  
  
She turned to Nabooru, and saw the woman had grabbed a rather large knife from under her pillow. She slowly crept out of bed, and towards the door, wearing nothing but a small pair of loose fitting shorts, not making so much as a sound.  
  
The door was pulled open, and Nabooru visibly relaxed at the sight of the king.  
  
"Looks like I didn't have to get my hands dirty after all." She sneered, watching the dark nut scrambling for air as Ganondorf held him up by his neck.  
  
"Y-You have to listen to me!!" He gasped, still flailing.  
  
" **I don't think I have to do anything.** " Ganondorf replied murderously; his voice barely above a whisper, yet holding all the gravitas of a scream. "Not when I catch you spying through keyholes in the women's quarters."  
  
Freya's hands gripped the bedsheets tighter.  
  
"B-But it's her!" He pointed at Freya through the open door. "I saw her through the hole in the washroom door. She's not what you _think!_ "  
  
"And now you admit to spying not once, but **twice?** I would say that's double the punishment you've got in store now, don't you think, Nabooru?"  
  
"Yes sire. _Double._ " She nodded.  
  
"B-B-But she's a _faerie!_ " The guard squeaked, causing Ganondorf to drop him in surprise, with a loud clang. "She has pink hair! Down _there..!!_ "  
  
" **Of course** she's a faerie." The king sneered, and Nabooru nodded. "Do you seriously think we'd be **unaware** of such a thing?"  
  
"N-No sir..." The dark nut scrambled away, hitting the wall with his back. The king advanced on him.  
  
"And I hope you are aware that even as an outsider, this woman still **outranks** you." He grabbed the man again, and Freya watched through the doorway in terror.  
  
"My liege..!" The guard stuttered, recoiling. "I'm sorry!"  
  
"Well. It isn't **me** you should be apologising to. _Is it?_ " He unceremoniously dragged the man by his throat into the sleeping quarters, almost stumbling when both his broad shoulders bumped into the doorframe.  
  
Ganondorf was too big, even in his own fortress...  
  
" **WELL, GO ON THEN.** " He barked, shaking the man like a child would a puppet. Freya could have sworn the entire room shook from his voice alone.  
  
"I'M SO SORRY MISS! P-PLEASE! I BEG FORGIVENESS!"  
  
"Freya." The faerie jumped slightly when he addressed her by her name.  
  
"Yes..?" She was still sat in bed, too afraid to move.  
  
"What do you prefer. Lizards or snakes?"  
  
What a strange question.  
  
"Um... Lizards I suppose?" She shrugged, and she grew even more perplexed when she heard the women in the quarters giggle, and start whispering.  
  
"The dodongo pit it is. You can kick him in **yourself** if you'd like." Ganondorf smiled. And it wasn't even a cruel smile, simply one of amusement.  
  
"I..." She stared at the dark nut, almost sorrowfully.  
  
"Don't worry, he's been in there before." Nabooru winked; but Freya wasn't sure whether or not to believe her...  
  
"OK." She nodded, unsure what to make of all this. It was a drastic punishment, but the man deserved one. She wasn't usually one to be so vengeful, but he'd seen her in the altogether..! It was unacceptable.

* * *

 

Once the punishment was over (Freya had let an eager Enul kick the dark nut in her stead) the girls began making their way back to the quarters, the shrieks of the guard echoing in the distance some floors down.  
  
"So, you're a _faerie..._ " Nabooru smiled after a somewhat intentionally uncomfortable silence.  
  
"I wanted to tell you, please believe me..!"  
  
"Look. You don't seem like a bad or conniving person." Nabooru began. "I'm sure you would've told us sooner or later. Although..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, the king doesn't take too kindly to secrets. But he'll probably have a talk with you about all of this tomorrow." She smiled. "We all need some rest; and since he hasn't demanded an answer _now_ , I wouldn't worry. Just be honest with him. I think you owe him that much, yes?"  
  
"Of course." Freya nodded resolutely. "I am sorry... But I can't go back to where I came from. If this went any further than the fortress-"  
  
"Hey! Calm down, yeah?" Aveil interrupted. "We won't tell **anyone.** And I'm sure the king won't tell until he's heard what you have to say. And he probably won't even mention it after _that._ "  
  
"We're not the type to snitch~" Enul smiled warmly with a wink. "Besides, you're practically part of the tribe anyway. Even if you are a... _Y'know~_ " She nudged the faerie with her elbow.  
  
Freya smiled, relaxing somewhat. A part of her was still anxious, wondering what the king would have to say to her about all this, but it felt almost as if quite a weight had been lifted already...

* * *

Ganondorf stared at the door as he heard approaching footsteps from the other side.  
  
He'd been waiting a little while now, constantly staring at the clock for when she would arrive.  
  
On his honour, he'd promised not to breath a word of her secret, but in return he wanted the truth.  
  
They'd agreed on a time to meet shortly after finishing breakfast. Ganondorf decided to have a second breakfast, enjoying immensely the sight of Freya fidgeting in her seat, waiting for him to finish.  
  
He wasn't sure why he liked teasing her so much. But now that she'd _disenchanted_ herself, and dropped the disguise, it was funny to see if he could make her face as pink as her new (or perhaps it was old) hair.  
  
Now that her hair wasn't so dark, she looked a lot less pale and sickly looking, he found himself thinking.  
  
There was a knock at the door, and Ganondorf grinned, waiting. A short while later, there was another quick series of demure knocks. He suppressed a chuckle, standing up from his seat to go and open it.

"You're five minutes late." He put on his best authoritative face, trying not to corpse at the terrified look on hers. "I'm joking." She relaxed visibly. "You're **ten minutes** late."  
  
Ganondorf made his way back to his large almost throne like seat. He then motioned to another, smaller seat opposite him, on the other side of a table.  
  
" _Sit._ " He ordered quietly. Freya dashed over, taking a seat. "Why are you here? Truly? And no talk of monsters."  
  
"Well that is _half_ the reason..." She pouted, not happy that he was distrustful of her tale. Though after last night's revelations, she wasn't surprised if he was more than a little skeptical.  
  
"Then tell me the _other_ half." He laced his fingers together, resting his large hands on the table.  
  
"My mother... Was a faerie." Ganondorf nodded, but did not speak. "One of the prophecies about the hero was supposed to come true quite some time before I was born. The Hyrule Royal Family gathers together any helpful race that can aid the hero when scriptures foretell of his arrival. When my mother found out, she ran away the first chance she could get. She was just a tiny stray faerie back then..."  
  
Ganondorf stayed silent.  
  
"She flew as far away as she could. There's a Faerie Fountain just outside the castle. Her mother, my grandmother, was charged to stay there until the hero should ever arrive. My aunties were all to stay as well, to sacrifice themselves if the hero's life force ever waned. My mother thought it was _ludicrous..._ " She sniffed, getting visibly upset now. "There are faeries trapped behind walls, under stones, and in _volcanoes._ They can't get out, and they might only see the light of day _if_ this supposed hero decides to be curious enough to bomb them _out!_ " She was clenching her fists at her sides now, angrily. "Every faerie has to report to the Royal Family. Every faerie has to live in forced servitude for this... _Saviour_ who might not even appear!" She spat.  
  
"I see." Freya barely registered his response, and pressed on.  
  
"It's not **fair!** We owe them **nothing!** Just because they can't wield our powers for themselves..." She seethed.  
  
"They **used** you." Freya suddenly looked up, her face pink and hot with anger. " **But they won't get that chance ever again.** "  
  
"I..." Freya rubbed at her eyes, drying the tears there. "I just hate them so much... After my mother died, I had no family left. I can't even visit any of the faeries without risking my own capture." She cried. "I don't want them to enslave me like the rest..!"  
  
" **Freya.** " Ganondorf leaned closer, reaching his hands out. She subconsciously lifted hers, and trembled when she felt him take them in hand. "You, and your people, will be **liberated.** I swear it."  
  
"B-But how..?"  
  
"Leave the details to me." He squeezed her hands reassuringly. " **A war is long overdue...** "  
  
And Hylia had brought this on herself from the very beginning.


	5. The King Can Belly Dance..?

"It will be a full moon soon. Two days in fact. We always celebrate, and I'm sure you'll really enjoy it!" Nabooru smiled, walking through the corridors with Freya. The faerie wanted to learn more about their customs and traditions, so the Gerudo was glad that one of their favourite festivities was just around the corner.  
  
"Um... If you don't mind me asking - _why_ do you celebrate it?" Freya felt a little silly asking. There hasn't been any such celebrations in the mountains. There were even scary stories the adults told the children about a moon that nearly fell from the sky, flattening the village some many hundreds of years ago.  
  
"Well you might've noticed there are quite a lot of women here?" Nabooru chuckled. "The moon has the perfect calendar that we can use as a guide to predict our cycles." She patted her abdomen, and Freya blushed.  
  
"Oh..." That made a lot of sense now that she thought about it.  
  
"In the desert we worship a few goddesses that the rest of Hyrule doesn't." The Gerudo explained. "There's the Sand Goddess, and the Moon Goddess. Plenty of outsiders mistake them for Din, and Nayru, but they are much different."  
  
"Tell me about them?" Freya asked, curious.  
  
"Well, the Sand Goddess has her own temple." Nabooru began. "The spiritual temple was built long ago as a place of reflection, prayer, and healing. Some say the Goddess of the Sand was the wife of Groose - becoming the mother of our race."  
  
"And the Moon Goddess?"  
  
"Well, since the Sand Goddess has a temple in the sands, we thought it would only be proper that the Moon Goddess had her own temple in the sky." She smiled. "Since we can't actually _build_ one, we send little decorated lanterns into the sky every full moon festival. It's our way of honouring, and reaching her. Our people's symbol even has a crescent moon, as you've seen."  
  
"Yes, I noticed." Freya nodded. "That's lovely; we never did anything so interesting back where I came from."  
  
"No belly dancing to your deity?" Nabooru giggled as they walked outside into the settlement's training area.  
  
"Belly _what..?_ "  
  
"Belly dancing!" Nabooru chuckled. "It's an ancient style of dance here. You use your hips and belly to do most of the work. But your arms are pretty crucial too." She explained.  
  
"Is it hard?"  
  
"Oh no, not really. Everyone picks it up quickly enough." She then leaned in, grinning. "And if a klutz like the king can do it, I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all~"  
  
Did the king even have a belly..? Freya had been more distracted by his broad muscular shoulders the last time she'd seen him unclothed in any sense.  
  
"I'm better than you - no need to be sour about it, Nabooru." Ganondorf suddenly spoke, and Freya had to try not to scream in terror.  
  
How did he DO that?!  
  
"Yeah yeah, you just wait. In two days I'll be the one wiping the floor with you." Nabooru sassed, walking off with Freya. The king merely tsked, shaking his head.

* * *

Freya had had some practice, but now that the big day was on them, she was panicking.  
  
What if she missed a step, or fell over, or offended someone..?!  
  
The entire tribe was under a colossal tent in the open end of the desert. There was drink, food, music, and entertainment of all kinds.  
  
Some women juggled fire. Others did contortion acts, fitting themselves in tiny boxes, much to Freya's amazement.  
  
The faerie drank her wine, starting to feel a little warm in the face. She thought the drink might help with her performance nerves, but it was just making her heart hammer even faster!  
  
When the dance was set to start, the chosen dancers began putting the finishing touches on their costumes, as well as themselves.  
  
The heady smell of perfumed oils filled the room as everyone applied it to their hair. Freya watched as Ganondorf rubbed the remainder over his bare chest and torso. Nabooru shook her head - what a peacock. It was obvious that he was going out of his way to look his best.  
  
Though he had a habit of preening, there was something a little different about him today...  
  
Freya stared as the dance began, waiting for her queue. Everyone was moving so fluidly... Almost as if it were second nature! She quickly tried to remember what it was she had to do, going over the steps in her mind.  
  
But the King's dance was very distracting...  
  
His hips weren't as full as the women's, obviously, but they were certainly doing a good job! She stared transfixed as his pelvis flexed and gyrated. Every time his hips did a certain flick, she could swear she saw the outline for something very big and imposing between his legs for just a split second.  
  
Aveil stared at the faerie, trying not to burst out laughing at her blatant ogling. The girl was bright red!  
  
Then again, the king's bulging muscles were even more pronounced from the oil. It was hard not to stare; he was practically glowing in the light of the fire.  
  
Aveil then joined the group when she was called over, leaving Freya even more nervous than before.  
  
"Oh, calm yourself little one." Twinrova smiled sweetly, sipping a warm, spicy cup of something. It smelled delicious. "The goddesses gave you hips for this reason! You were made to shake them, dear."  
  
Nabooru then smiled, waving Freya over. The faerie faltered for a split second.  
  
"Go on!" The witch shooed her playfully. "Have some fun! It won't _kill_ you..." She then seemed to wink, almost knowingly.  
  
Freya skipped over to the small group of friendly faces, her own uncomfortably pink. Enul, Aveil, and Nabooru slowed their movements, allowing Freya to follow them at the same speed.  
  
After a few clumsy minutes, Freya was getting the hang of things, swinging and wiggling her hips at the same time as the girls.  
  
They staying in a small circle, facing inwards. Freya kept her eyes on the girls, or the floor, trying to concentrate. Whenever she made eye contact with Ganondorf, it spooked her into missing a step, or faltering.  
  
She could've sworn he smirked every time as well. Best to just ignore him...  
  
The music soon sped up, and Freya was fighting to catch up to the beat, mimicking the rest of the girls as beads of sweat rolled down her body, her hair becoming loose with each frantic spin.  
  
The music stopped, and everyone paused, freezing in position for a moment. Freya's heart was pounding, but she'd never felt so good!  
  
The rest of the girls started laughing and smiling, and Freya joined in as the whole room erupted in applause and cheering. This had been a good decision after all...  
  
"At least your dancing is better than your archery..." Ganondorf suddenly chuckled in the faerie's ear from behind. Her entire face became red in seconds as she felt his red hot breath on her skin.  
  
Freya turned around, but the king was already on the other side of the room.  
  
How did he DO THAT?!

* * *

"Tell me you're humouring him..!" Enul said, aghast.  
  
"Maybe. I haven't decided yet." Aveil shrugged.  
  
"He'd better not be a creep..."  
  
"Agreed." Nabooru nodded, siding with Enul. "But if he is, I'm sure Aveil can handle herself."  
  
Enul nodded, finally settling down.  
  
"Who is 'he'..?" Freya piped up. Obviously the girls had some kind of history with whoever it was.  
  
"Just some fisherman." Aveil explained. "He's been caught taking pictographs of the girls a few times. I want to ask him why, so why not on a date?"  
  
" _Why..?_ " Freya didn't understand the logic of that.  
  
"Free food." Aveil shrugged. She wasn't about to admit that she sort of maybe kind of thought the man was cute.  
  
She'd never hear the end of it...  
  
"Don't feel bad if you have to skin him alive!" Enul chimed in. "We'll be your alibi." She winked. Freya looked on horrified while the girls laughed.

* * *

It was the end of the evening, and Aveil almost didn't want to call it a night.  
  
Rorak had been the proper gentleman the whole night, and she was quite surprised. He wasn't anything like she'd imagined.

Rorak stood at an impressive six foot three. His arms were covered in blue, tribal tattoos. But he was the furthest thing from scary. Rorak was a shy, bumbling, and... oddly endearing man. Aveil wasn't sure what to think of him.  
  
There was one question though, that had been preying on her mind the whole evening. - and because of this, it was hanging in the air, distracting her.  
  
"So, you're a pictographer..." Aveil smiled as they made their way out of the tavern in castle town. Gerudos always went there on their dates on account of the owner, Telma. She was one of the few women who'd left the fortress to live elsewhere, and she was making a great name for herself. Ganondorf rather liked the idea of some eyes and ears outside of the fortress. Telma, and a few other ladies had proved more than useful on quite a number of occasions.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd bring that up..."Rorak sighed, looking away sheepishly.  
  
"Well, you can't blame me for being curious... A lot of the girls are very annoyed about it, you know."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"So..?" She paused. "Why do you do it?"  
  
"Well... The first time I went to the fortress, it was because some guys dared me to do it, and bring back proof. Every man in Hyrule is too terrified to even go _near_ the desert."  
  
Aveil stayed silent.  
  
"When I got there, I was just going to snap a quick pictograph, and go." He paused. "But then I saw _you._ And I just knew if I was going to take a pictograph, then it had to be **perfect..!** " Aveil was trying to hide a smile at this point. "It took me forever to line up the perfect shot, and by the time I'd taken it, I was spotted... Kind of hard to explain yourself in that situation, so I just ran."  
  
"I see..." She folded her arms. "So why come back, and take **more** pictographs?"  
  
"I wanted to talk to you... But I wasn't taking pictures... All the times I came back, I just happened to have my pictograph box with me." Aveil raised an eyebrow skeptically. "It's true! I was coming home from fishing... It was on my way past the desert."  
  
"Hm..." She smirked slightly.  
  
"You can have the picture back, if you want." He rummaged through his person before thrusting it at her shyly. Aveil took it.  
  
"Oh." It really was a wonderful picture of her. He'd captured her best side, and everything..! "Any other trophies..?" She joked.  
  
"Just my seahorse." He shrugged.

Wait. What..?  
  
"Your _what?_ "  
  
"Seahorse. I found it in the ocean." Rorak kicked his heels nervously.  
  
"Aren't they kind of an endangered species..?" She smiled, looking for any reason to tease him now.  
  
"I know... I just thought it'd be safer out of the ocean. Nothing around to eat it." There were some pretty mean eels, the deeper you got to the ocean floor.  
  
"Yes, but what about its family? I'm sure it misses them - and that it's being missed."  
  
"I... Didn't think about that."  
  
"Just like you didn't **think** when you went around taking **pictographs** , hm?"  
  
"I'm sorry..." Rorak shrank back, blushing.  
  
"Don't be." She smiled, her mood turning on a rupee. "You've obviously made a habit of collecting _pretty_ things." She waved the pictograph at him, proving her point.  
  
"So... You're not angry with me?" Rorak asked, hopefully.  
  
"How could I be? I'm gorgeous in this picture!" Aveil swelled in vanity. "But..." Rorak stared at her, terrified of what she might say next. "You really should let that poor seahorse go."  
  
"Oh. Yes, of course! As soon as I get home..!" He nodded, smiling.  
  
"Good." She offered him her arm, and the stunned Hylian took it. "Glad we cleared that up."

* * *

"Be quiet..." Aveil shushed her date as they got closer to the gates. Just above said gates, you could see the walls of the fortress. One light was on in one of the upper most rooms, and Aveil stared at it, suspiciously.

There was suddenly a chorus of giggles.

"I KNEW IT!" Aveil roared as the giggles got louder. Suddenly the light went off, and there was a lot of sniggering. "My friends think they're clever by spying on us. Sorry about that." She huffed.

"That's alright." Rorak smiled shyly.

"But I had a good night." Aveil added quickly. Though she wasn't about to let him know it had been one of the best evenings she'd had in years... "Shall we do it again sometime?"

"Y-You want to..? W-With me..?"

"No. With your pet seahorse." Aveil rolled her eyes. "Yes, with you, Rorak."

"Oh..!" His face, even in the faint light of the evening was obviously blushing. "Yes! I'd love to..!"

"Good. I'll make sure the postman sends you a letter." Aveil nodded, feeling her own cheeks becoming a little rosy. "So... Goodnight..."

"Goodnight." Rorak smiled. He faltered for a moment, unsure whether or not to do something. Did you hug someone after a first date. Was that weird? Surely it was too soon for a kiss.

But Aveil obviously didn't seem to think so. She quickly leaned in, and gave him a peck on the lips. He stared at her, utterly stunned. The Gerudo then leaned in again, giving him a softer, longer, though still chaste kiss.

"Bye then..!" She rushed off into the fortress, never looking back.

"B-Bye..." Rorak touched his lips absentmindedly as he watched her disappear.

* * *

As soon as the dormitory door opened, Aveil caught the pillow Enul had thrown at her face.

There was a chorus of squealing and laughing from all of the girls in the room. Aveil shook her head, smiling.

"Oh, leave me alone..." She chuckled, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"So? He wasn't a creep, obviously..." Enul grinned, throwing another pillow, this time catching Aveil off guard.

"No, he wasn't!" She rubbed her face, smirking. "He was actually quite sweet."

" ** _OOOOOH!!!_** " The rest of the girls chorused.

"Shut up!"

"Never~" Nabooru joined in. "We're happy for you. You'd think you'd be used to it by now."

"Yeah, yeah..." Aveil got comfy in her bed, clutching the pictograph under the covers.

 

 


	6. Trip to the Fairy Fountain

Ganondorf stepped out of the bath. His usually voluminous hair now wet, and hanging limply around his face. The perks about living in the desert, at least - your hair dried quickly...  
  
As he shuffled absentmindedly around his room, looking for clothes and his favourite hair oil, his towel slipped from around his waist.  
  
And it was that precise moment he heard a whir of magic, signalling his sword was now flouncing around the room.  
  
Ghirahim always seemed to know just when the king was in a state of undress.  
  
It was uncanny...  
  
"Master~" He called out, and Ganondorf could tell he was being 'appreciated' from behind.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was just thinking I'd probably stretch my legs. Sire..." He quickly added.  
  
"Have fun." He continued rummaging, ignoring the sword spirit.  
  
"Is everything alright..?" Ghirahim bit his lip, hoping he hadn't spoken out of turn.  
  
"Just perfect." Ganondorf snapped.  
  
"You know what always cheers _me_ up?" He ignored the king's dramatic sigh. "Tea! I'll go fetch you some~" The man scampered off, not even waiting for a response.  
  
Thank the goddesses he was gone...  
  
Though, as annoying as Ghirahim could be, he was one of the few people who were capable of getting a genuine laugh out of the king. And he was always helpful. He hadn't failed him yet, and for that Ganondorf was grateful.  
  
He should probably say it a little more often... He made a mental note to do just that next time.

* * *

Freya stared as the pale man sashayed past their table, heading for the kitchens.  
  
"W-Who's that..?" She whispered.  
  
"Ghirahim." Aveil stated.  
  
"Must be back from his job policing the borders. Ganondorf sends him away to do the important stuff." Nabooru explained. "I think his next job is to track down that monster that followed you here."  
  
Freya gulped. The man looked tiny, and if so many of the king's men had been killed, how on earth would _he_ fare?!  
  
"It slaughtered a good number of our bokoblins, and even some of the moblins sent out after that." Nabooru sighed. "But it seems from where the bodies were found that it's retreating back to the mountains at least."  
  
"We should just leave it be." Enul whispered. "It's not worth it, sending people out to die!" She wasn't about to mention that one of her moblin 'friends' had been injured last time, barely making it back alive. Nurag was a tiny bit more than a friend... But she'd never hear the end of it, if that got out...  
  
"I agree." Aveil nodded. "But the king has the last word."

* * *

"Ghirahim." Ganondorf began. The man was visibly on tenterhooks already at his name being mentioned. "I have a little errand for you."  
  
"You do?" The sword spirit gleamed.  
  
"Yes." The king took a sip of his tea. Damn that stuff was good... "Thank you for the tea, by the way." He quickly added, but wished he hadn't, seeing the other man swoon.  
  
"Anything for my master~!" Ghirahim bowed.  
  
Anyway...  
  
"This evening I want you to go find that godforsaken monster that's been making a mess of my army." He huffed. "But! I just want you to find it - leave it alive. And let me know precisely where it is. I'll be making a trip there myself..."

"Yes, my lord!" Ghirahim sounded practically overjoyed.  
  
Ganondorf was curious about this monster now. A strong child could probably beat a bokoblin to death with a big enough stick. But ten moblins?  
  
That was worrying...

"Wait. Why not now?" The sword spirit pouted, hating to wait around when an errand was on the table.

" ** _BECAUSE I SAID SO!_** " Ganondorf snapped, letting out a decidedly piglike grunt. Ghirahim knew it was time to leave the room.

* * *

Freya was surprised when the king, true to his word, offered to accompany her to the nearest faerie fountain.

She hadn't imagined that he'd want to help her free her people this soon - especially when that monster was decimating his army drove by drove. Surely that would take priority..? Freya ignored her niggling doubts, thanking Ganondorf.

Nabooru and his mothers also came along for the journey. As much as the king could handle things by himself, having his mothers and best friend along made sense. That, and Twinrova was always fascinated by the great faeries, though she'd never had a chance to meet one in person. She was thrilled when Ganondorf told her that the fortress would have to make room for a dozen of them, and practically invited herself along anyway.

The twins flew around the landscape just outside of the desert, using their magical intuition to try and feel where a big source like a great faerie might be. They left the desert completely, and had to traverse half way across Hyrule field until Koume and Kotake came to a stop, hovering in mid air on their brooms.

"STOP!!!" They both chorused, before fusing together. "I think there's one behind here!" She pointed a finger toward a large boulder, resting right by the bottom of a stone cliff.

Freya stepped forward curiously, though still hiding behind Nabooru. The Gerudo woman put her hand on the fae's shoulder.

"Hey. Ready to meet your family?" She smiled.

"Um..." Freya bit her lip. She'd looked forward to this as soon as the king had promised her. During the trip out of the desert, and through the fields, Freya had been eager to meet the first faerie they came across. But now that they might have found one... "I'm scared." She mumbled. Apart from her mother, she'd never met any faeries.

"Hey... Don't be." Nabooru put her arm around the girl. "You'll be OK - I promise." She winked, and Freya smiled, feeling a little better.

Ganondorf sniffed slightly. Was he coming down with something..? The longer the journey went on, the worse he was starting to feel.

"Oh, come on!" Twinrova whined, prodding her son in the arm, startling him. "Blow that rock up!" She wasn't about to get her hands dirty, and her son was just being lazy at this point...

"Hm..." Ganondorf nodded, lifting his arm. A black pulse of energy erupted from his hand, cleaving the boulder in twain. Freya held her breath as the smoke and dust settled. Behind the rock indeed was a black gaping hole that lead to somewhere. "Stay behind me." Ganondorf ordered, walking in the direction of the fountain. He was always suspicious, and it had done him good over the years - saved his life many times in fact! If you wanted to stay alive, you had to naturally assume that everything was trying to kill you.

In Ganondorf's experience, that was often...

"Nabs..." Freya whispered. "What if... What if the faeries don't want to be freed..?!" She suddenly asked. The thought had been praying on her mind. None of them had left before, just her mother. Why would any of the rest agree now?

"Hey, even if they don't, at least you'll get to have a reunion." The Gerudo smiled. "Try not to worry until something has happened."

"OK..." Freya nodded. Though for her it was hard. She was always waiting for something to go wrong.

The closer they got to the hole in the cliff, the slower the king's steps became. He was tempted to tell them all to go on without him, but in fear of sounding weak, he just pressed on, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach.

Soon the small group were walking through the 'door', making their way inside. True enough, it was a faerie fountain. The whole room was filled with water, and behind the pool were pillars and walls made of the most beautiful crystal. Ganondorf pointed to the center. The best person to summon the faerie was probably a faerie in this case. As much as he wanted to be the one to do it, he was starting to feel violently ill.

Freya held her breath, stepping forward. Once the water started to ripple with her footsteps, there was an almighty laugh from somewhere above. Freya looked up in time to see a giant woman materialise in the air.

"OHOHOH- Huh..?" She blinked, looking down at the girl. "Y-You're not the hero, sweetie." She swooped down, taking a closer look, and Freya flinched. "OH!" The great faerie's hands flew up to her face in shock. "Oh my dear. You're the lost little faerie, aren't you?!" She smiled a kind motherly smile.

"I... I'm not lost." Freya said.

"You aren't..?" The great faerie looked confused.

"I'm not." Freya spoke very certainly. "My mother fled her mother's fountain as a stray faerie. She wanted a free life." The faerie played with her hands, nervously. "She... wanted her family to be free. Free to make their own decisions. Use their magic the way they saw fit." The great faerie looked sad at this point. "Don't you..?"

"I..." She faltered. " _Dha werrr heya aesr..._ (The walls have ears...)" She hoped the little one had picked up some of their language, growing up in the free world. Freya nodded in understanding, and the great faerie smiled.

" _Wa'ya suna du rad irrui eln irruis raiddra ular llsaa._ (We've come to set you and your little ones free.)" Freya explained. " _Thasa'r nusa dhel aluirh suun ed dha cailr'r llusdsarr. Wa'sa yairaidailr ayasirr lluildeail du llsaa ayasirr rerd lleaisirr llsun rreyasirr._ (There's more than enough room at the king's fortress. We're visiting every fountain to free every last faerie from slavery.)"

The great faerie smiled, nodding.

"I wairr suna waidh irrui. Aln ru wairr nirr shairnsal. (I will come with you. And so will my children.)"

* * *

When Freya had looked behind her, a crucial member of their party had vanished.

Ganondorf was sweating from head to toe, sick to his stomach. It was like something inside him was violently trying to claw it's way out. He had to get out of there... The king had rushed back into the open, taking in lungfuls of the sweet fresh air. His legs kept walking him away from the fountain, almost on autopilot. Something in him was begging him to get as far away from that fountain as possible...

Relaxing against a nearby tree (before he fell over), Ganondorf sighed loudly.

"Hey!" Twinrova piped up, and the king nearly did fall over in fright. "Why did you rush off in there?" She pouted. The first great faerie she'd seen, and the piglet had to ruin it!

"Not... feeling well..." He groaned. Twinrova's stance changed, and she wrapped a motherly arm around him.

"Oh dear..." She cooed. "Just what's got you looking all pale?" Her hand brushed some of the hair out of his sweaty face. "Did you eat something raw again for a bet?" She chided.

"No..." Ganondorf grunted. "I just need to get away from that faerie..." His eyes flickered suddenly, and Twinrova could swear she'd been talking to Demise.

"Oh." She suddenly burst out laughing. "You're allergic to love, you silly boy!" She cackled.

"W-What..?!" He pouted. What on Din's red earth was she babbling about?!

"Faeries." She smirked. "They're deities of nature. They can't help but love every single living being - at the same time - with the same intensity." Ganondorf looked puzzled. "The evil in you cannot stand it. You're fine with motherly love~" She pinched his cheek, and the king had to bite back a hiss of displeasure. "But something on that scale... Faeries practically project their love into your veins. No wonder you felt so horrid."

Ganondorf groaned - he'd promised Freya that the entirety of them would take up residence in the fortress.

He'd be throwing up every single day!

"Wait. Freya has been beside me at times, and I've never felt this vile!" Ganondorf snapped, his natural suspicion making itself known.

"Well, she's half faerie, that's why." Twinrova tsked.

"S-She is..?"

"Of course! Why did you think she was so small - didn't eat her greens?!" Twinrova sighed, rolling her eyes. "Her father was human."

"Oh." Ganondorf searched his mind, trying to remember whether or not she'd told him this already. "I just thought faeries made more faeries."

"Well yes, most of the time." Twinrova nodded. "But in Freya's case, her mother took a human mate. Ask her about it sometime - I'm sure she'll tell you everything." The fused witch smirked knowingly, but Ganondorf didn't even notice, hurling into a nearby bush.

* * *

Freya showed the great faerie 'Fen', and her many children, around the fortress eagerly. She didn't understand why the king had disappeared like that, but soon he was back with his mother in toe, using his magic to make the hole in the wall big enough for Fen to get out through, and very quickly they made their way back to the desert.

Ganondorf was waiting with baited breath for his mothers to finish the damned potion.

"Is it ready..?" He mumbled, holding a hand over his mouth just on the off-chance.

"Nearly... Be patient, love." Koume nodded.

"Sit down, and be quiet. If we ruin this, we'll have to start again!" Kotake huffed, stirring the potion methodically.

"Fine..." He grumped, taking a seat by the cauldron.

Whatever it was smelled foul - but most of what they made did in his opinion.

Nearly fifteen minutes later it was finally ready, and Koume held up a large, deep spoonful.

"Take a sip!"

"And try not to spit it out..." Kotake added.

Ganondorf downed it quickly, shivering as the disgusting concoction slid down his throat. He had to force his mouth closed as he felt himself gag a couple times.

At least that was over.

"Good! Now drink five more spoonfuls." Koume chuckled seeing the king's face drop in horror.

* * *

Finally he was feeling more like himself again. The potion was the best stomach settler known to man, and his mothers had made quite a generous amount to tide him over for the time being.

He still felt a little off, but it went as quickly as it came.

Freya then spotted the king, and skipped to catch up to him.

"Uh... S-Sir..?" She chanced. Freya never knew quite what to address him by... She noticed the others all called him by his name, but assumed she hadn't been here long enough to do that.

"Yes, Freya." He held his breath, stifling a burp. Stupid great faeries...

"I was just wondering if you were feeling alright? You seemed a little off-colour is all." She babbled, wringing her hands. Off colour... The man was always green. Freya ran a hand over her face, realising her slip.

"Yes, it's nothing." He replied, surprised that she cared. Wait! Now it all made sense!!!

He always felt dopey and strange around her lately. Surely it was her faerie magic that was to blame... Yes, good. He could brush off that insane thought that he might have been attracted to her, and finally forget about it. Stupid Ganondorf... Even though she was half human, she still had SOME faerie blood! Of course it was the culprit!

Ganondorf smiled to himself as they walked, proud that he could blame something at long last.

"So." He said, sounding more chipper. "You're half-faerie."

"Yes." Freya nodded, surprised that he was taking an interest. "My father was a man from the village in the mountains. He helped my mother when she finally arrived there, taking her in since he had the room."

"You say he died when you were young." Ganondorf suddenly mentioned. He hadn't quizzed Nabooru, or the girls about that, or anything... Nope... "I never met my own father."

"Oh." Freya was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry to hear that. I only knew mine for five or so years..."

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"No, it's fine." She smiled. He was the king - she couldn't exactly tell him to mind his business. And she was glad that he seemed to care. Or maybe he was just curious. "He went to the forest with some of the other king's guards. It was hard for him harbouring a secret faerie - and a secret faerie child." She explained. "But he never told a soul. The guards were meant to investigate the woods - apparently there were some monsters appearing again."

"I see." Ganondorf remembered back to the time he had unleashed some hoards into the forests. A part of him felt a little bit bad, hoping one of his men hadn't killed her father. Though if they had, what was done had been done. Maybe he'd buy her something expensive to take her mind off it...

"Another guard came to the village some weeks later and told us that my father had disappeared, presumed dead." She said sadly. "They said something about him getting lost, but that makes no sense! There were so many men with him - how did he get lost? And how did no one find him?" Freya sighed.

Lost.

In the woods.

"I'd give anything to see him again." She mumbled.

The wheels in the king's head began turning...

* * *

It was the evening, and Ganondorf managed catch Ghirahim just in time before he set off to the mountains in search of the monster.

"Ghirahim."

"SIR, YES SIR!" The sword saluted Ganondorf.

"Change of plan..." He sipped his (god damn delicious) tea, and his lackey looked puzzled.

"Master..?"

"I need you to pay a visit to the Stalfos army..."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Ganondorf is allergic to 'love'. I had to...


	7. Another War?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter to make more sense, have a google around until you find the "Ghirahim is the Kokiri Sword theory"... It's integral to my fic~

Volga was under house arrest.  
  
Well, that was after Ganondorf had held him by his leg from a window in the tallest tower.  
  
The king had entered his mother's chambers earlier that day. He'd expected to see her knitting, or reading a terrible book, or doing whatever it was old ladies did.  
  
He did not expect to see her cock-deep in his best soldier's lap.  
  
There were some things a son should never see, and that was one of them.  
  
In his usual kill first and ask question later style of rage, he'd grabbed Volga by his neck, his boots making cracks in the floor as he thundered out of the room, dragging the poor man behind him.  
  
After some screaming, courtesy of his mother, Ganondorf finally pulled Volga back through the window with a glower. He dropped the naked man, and then left the room quickly after.  
  
Apparently you're supposed to smile when your mother finds herself a boyfriend.  
  
Well, why should he?!  
  
It was... Wrong. Not to mention sick! She was much too old for him...  
  
And Volga himself was a bewitched dragon.! This was cross-species canoodling, and he would have no part of it!!!  
  
"Master~" Came Ghirahim's voice, and Ganondorf had to count to ten.  
  
"What?" He hissed, turning to face the sword spirit.  
  
"I think I found him."

* * *

_Ghirahim had been skulking around the woods, desperate to find that godforsaken army of Stalfos._  
  
_They always buried themselves in a different place; it was beyond irritating..._  
  
_Finally the sword spirit came across what looked to be recently disturbed soil. He grinned before stamping up and down unceremoniously._  
  
_"Up! Get up, you lazy oafs!" He chuckled as the ground beneath him began to shake and crumble. Ghirahim floated a few feet above them in the air, as the Stalfos clawed their way out of the soil._  
  
_"Sir!" They all saluted in unison. One Stalfos's head seemed to be facing the wrong way, and Ghirahim ran a hand over his face._  
  
_"Gentlemen..." He began._  
  
_"Ahem!"_  
  
_"And ladies..." Ghirahim added as one of the Stalfos tapped her foot impatiently._  
  
_"Thank you..." She muttered._  
  
_"The King has sent me to ask of you some questions." The sword spirit floated through the air lazily, inspecting the troops. "First of all... When you were alive - were any of you from the mountains..?"_  
  
_A handful of Stalfos raised their hands, and Ghirahim smiled._  
  
_"Good. Step forward." They did so, and Ghirahim waved his hand, signalling for the rest to go back into the dirt. They obeyed quickly. "Now... How many of you fathered a child?"_  
  
_Two stalfos stepped forward, and the rest began dissolving into the ground as well._  
  
_"Wonderful..." Ghirahim steepled his fingers. "Now. Did one of you have a son..?"_  
  
_There was a pause, and finally one of the pair stepped forward. Ghirahim ignored him, staring at the other Stalfos._  
  
_" **Bingo...** "_  
  
_His master would be thrilled._

* * *

"And you brought him back to the fortress?"  
  
"Indeed, sire." Ghirahim bowed before looking frantic. "But we might have to have him cleaned up, first... His skull is moss city!"  
  
"Yes yes, alright..." Ganondorf nodded, waving a hand.  
  
"So..." Ghirahim bit his lip before continuing. "This faerie girl..."  
  
"What about her?" The King was looking decidedly grumpy already, and Ghirahim shrank back.  
  
"She doesn't suspect a thing?"  
  
"No, Ghirahim." Ganondorf sighed.  
  
Why did he feel bad about this? He shouldn't care at all. He'd used and manipulated people for hundreds of years, in many different forms.  
  
So why on earth was this instance causing a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach..?  
  
Ghirahim watched the King carefully. As soon as she'd told the King of her true identity, Ganondorf has been positively giddy. Finally, he had an ally that could turn the tables in his favour.  
  
With the faeries on his side, and their amazing healing abilities, not to mention defensive and offensive magic, they just couldn't lose!  
  
The Royal Family had locked them away because of the hero. But they knew if the faeries all banded together against the Kingdom, they wouldn't stand a chance.  
  
And now Ganondorf would free them all, and they would all be in his debt.  
  
"Sire." Ghirahim spoke up, breaking the King of his reverie.  
  
"Don't tell me what I already know, Ghirahim." He hissed, turning away.  
  
"Every time you try and start another war, the same thing happens all over again!" Ghirahim cried. "Are you not tired of it?!"  
  
Silence filled the room for some time until the King spoke.  
  
"You know as well as I do, that we are doomed to dance this merry little dance of failure until the world stops spinning." He sighed.  
  
"Surely Demise must be tired of being angry by now..?" The sword spirit whispered hopefully.  
  
"Those flames cannot be suffocated. You know that better than anyone."  
  
"If that were true, you wouldn't have been able to reawaken me after... You know..."  
  
"The _incident?_ " Ganondorf chuckled as Ghirahim blushed in shame.

* * *

_The 'incident' was Ghirahim having been banished after the events following Demise's defeat, deciding to throw his spirit into another sword._  
  
_The Kokiri Sword to be exact._  
  
_Ghirahim had been furious with his master's actions towards the end, not to mention that he had lost to that... **Boy.**_  
  
_Demise had blamed Ghirahim for everything before he banished him. If Ghirahim hadn't let the boy live - on many separate occasions - they would not have lost._  
  
_Ghirahim should have been able to snuff him out easily from the get go - but he didn't._  
  
_The sword spirit was embittered. His precious master was now blaming the entire tragedy on him!_  
  
_The **nerve!**_  
  
_At least the precious sky child could be trusted to win... And that was what got Ghirahim thinking._  
  
_Perhaps he deserved a new master? One who would wield him properly, and win this time!_  
  
_He watched the descendants of the sky child all take up the Master Sword in turn, thwarting evil every time it resurfaced._  
  
_He nearly gave up hope when the Hero of Time grew too old to wield him anymore, taking up the Master Sword again._  
  
_Though it had been fleeting, he hadn't failed his new master... Not once..._  
  
_It was when the young man was transported back in time, that Ghirahim found himself in the hero's hand once more._  
  
_They battled fierce enemies again, and Link even took him to a smithy - not once, but twice - to hone, and improve his blade._  
  
_Ghirahim felt beautiful again. The blade sparkling in his own trademark diamond pattern. He was longer, sharper, and handled wonderfully._  
  
_Together they put an end to nearly ever monster they faced._  
  
_Well. All except **one.**_  
  
_The hero had become too tempted by the power of the Fierce Deity mask. It was in the end, that Deity that helped Link defeat Majora._  
  
_Not him..._  
  
_He watched the hero grow up, raise a family, and grow old, all from the mantelpiece he'd been placed upon._  
  
_Everytime the hero picked up the blade, Ghirahim swelled in excitement, only to have his hopes dashed when he was quickly dusted, and placed back once more._  
  
_Link didn't want to wield him anymore. The memories of everything he'd been through were too much for the man to bear at times._  
  
_Ganondorf had found the blade discarded on the edge of the desert, nearly buried to the hilt in the sand._  
  
_Something in him recognised the energy, and as soon as he picked up the blade, every memory of Ghirahim flooded back into his subconsciousness._  
  
_" **It's about time you came home. Don't you think?** " He smiled at the sword._

* * *

"Perhaps Demise just knew better than to banish someone so useful?" Ganondorf shrugged.  
  
"You said yourself, his rage never tires." The sword spirit folded his arms. "Unless..."  
  
"Unless what?"  
  
"Unless something has changed his mind..."


	8. Getting to Know the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freya learns that some of the rumours about Ganondorf were true - the hard way...

Ganondorf was going out of his mind.

The plan he had set his heart upon was now completely forgotten. His petty revenge against Hylia had to wait.

Ghirahim was walking around the room restlessly, playing with his hands.

"Master, what will we do..?" He was on tenterhooks, waiting for the Gerudo to give him his orders - to tell him that enough was enough, and that he could now bring him the head of whatever beast had done this.

But Ganondorf didn't speak.

He inspected one of the moblin helmets that had been found just by the fringe of the desert. Made of the strongest metals forged in Death Mountain, it lay in his hands crushed and crumpled. The only person with enough brute strength to do that was him.

This was unfathomable.

"M-Master..?" Ghirahim chanced. "Please, you're worrying me..." He added, hoping again for an answer.

"Make sure the fortress is secure." Ganondorf finally said. "It doesn't get in - do not fail me, Ghirahim."

"Of course..!" The sword spirit jumped to attention. "And you?"

Ganondorf set the screwed up hunk of metal to one side, staring at it for a moment. He almost looked sad, but before Ghirahim could even question it, the King's face was set in a murderous glare.

" **This ends now.** "

* * *

 

Ghirahim took it upon himself to check every single living quarter, and the surrounding grounds. True to his word, he was travelling the fortress, making sure that everyone was accounted for.

A few of the stronger darknuts and moblins volunteered to guard, just to stop anything trying to get in. After a while, Ghirahim relented. It made sense to have two guards at every door, and as much as he wanted to just lock everyone up and go after the beast himself, Ganondorf had charged him with this task -  and he would do his master proud.

There was one thing that was annoying him, however.

The pink girl was no where to be seen...

"Stupid faerie..." He muttered, searching the bathrooms, one by one.

A rather selfish part of him wanted to just give up, and leave the girl to her own devices - it wouldn't be _his_ fault if a monster came and gobbled her up. Besides, the king kept talking about her, and it was beyond annoying... Freya this, and Freya that. 'Did you know Freya's favourite colour is green? Did you know her favourite subject growing up was horticulture?'  _Did you know she could fart, and the very air would be thankful?!_

Not that he was jealous.

That was stupid. He wasn't jealous...

But if she did perish (as lovely an idea as that was), then Ganondorf would have his head.

On a _plate..._

"OH, FAERIE GIRL..??!" He shrieked, skipping through the hallway. "COME OUT, NOW!"

Ghirahim panicked. Where was she?!

The sword spirit ran ungracefully through the fortress, double, and triple checking rooms, but to no-

"AVEIL!" He suddenly squeaked, bumping into her as he rounded a corner.

"Well, look who it is." She smirked, a hand on her hip. "The _clown._ "

"Feh." Ghirahim stuck his tongue out childishly. "Where is the pink one?"

"Freya?" The Gerudo tittered. "She does have a name. Have you tried calling her by it?"

Ghirahim paused, a furious look on his face. "Of course I have!" He lied.

"Well, last time I saw her was after dinner. She wanted to explore the desert some more. Maybe she's out there?"

Ghirahim felt his stomach drop like a stone.

"She's... outside?!" He ruffled his silver hair melodramatically, "No... NO!" He began dancing on the spot, waving his hands up and down.

"What's wrong with that?" Aveil shrugged.

"Because, you foolish girl, that stupid monster she brought with her just decimated yet another moblin army - that's what!" He then screeched when Aveil grabbed his ear, twisting it.

"And you didn't issue a warning over the horn?!" She growled. There was a giant monster horn atop the tallest tower in the fortress. It was sounded at war, but also if you screamed into it, your message would travel the whole fortress, relaying the message to everyone in an instant.

Ghirahim paled - it that were at all possible given his already grey complexion.

"Um..."

"Useless..." Aveil tsked. "I'll go do that now. _You,_ " She prodded a finger sternly against his narrow chest. "Go into the desert, and find Freya **right now!** "

* * *

 

Freya was oblivious to everything going on.

She sat in the sand, crafting a flower chain out of the dried up old plants. They might have been flowers in another province, but it was far too dry here for them to be anything but twigs. Still, whatever they were, they had character! She told herself that, anyway...

"And done!" She smiled to herself triumphantly as she finished the flower... well, _twig_ -crown. It was an accomplishment that the whole thing hadn't fallen apart and turned to dust. She placed it on top of her head, satisfied.

Freya stood from the sand, and patted herself down. It was strange to be covered in sand, instead of snow. It took some getting used to.

Looking up, she noticed something in the far distance behind the withered trees. The desert heat warped and misshaped it, and Freya strained her eyes to see. Was it a mirage..? Nabooru had told her about those, and that they could trick the mind. Luckily, Freya had taken a bottle of water with her just in case, and she took a slow sip.

Whatever it was, it was still there, but she could swear it was getting closer.

* * *

 

Ganondorf was following the trail he'd found. It wasn't so much a trail, as it was a long line of shattered armour, and limbs.

He paused when he saw a flash of pink somewhere in the desert. His eyes scanned the area, quickly finding her again. What on Din's red earth was she doing outside of the fortress?!

Without thinking, he made his way towards her, the hooves of his steed thundering across the sand effortlessly; the trail forgotten.

* * *

 

Ghirahim nearly tripped over Twinrova on his way out of the fortress. The witch cast an icy glare at him. He wasn't one of her favourites, that much was obvious.

"Apologies..." He muttered, rushing past.

The witch kept her eyes on him before waving a hand. Ghirahim's feet found themselves halted all of a sudden, and he jerked his head to the side.

"That was a terrible apology." She sneered, and the sword spirit wiggled fruitlessly. His magic was strong - but that was only because Ganondorf bestowed it upon him - and he was no match for the king's mother in that department. Dejected, he stood unmoving, waiting.

"Shall I try again?"

"It might be good practice." Twinrova tsked. "You'll need to do a lot of grovelling when your master returns, don't you think?"

Ghirahim hung his head in shame - she was right. He had royally fucked up, and there was no getting around it. After a particularly long silence, the witch spoke.

"You're unlucky that he left in the same direction the faerie did. If you don't rush now, he'll find her before you have the chance. And if that happens, you know he won't be a happy boy at all." She chuckled. Oh, how she loved to rub it in where Ghirahim was concerned. Many saw the man as a doting servant of her son - she just saw him as any mother would. A bad influence.

"So let me go!" The sword spirit thrashed uselessly, his eyes wild with panic. "You know what he'll do to me! You know!!!" Ghirahim pleaded.

"That depends." She smirked, staring at her nails with a critical eye. "Will you behave?"

"I don't know what you mean..."

"Of course you do!" She snapped. Her magic flaring around her in dangerous black and purple waves. "You strut around this fortress as if you are untouchable. You speak with utter disrespect to anyone who isn't my son. You don't cook. You don't clean. You don't earn your keep, and you act like a pampered prince. The king doesn't expect such babying - why on earth do you?!" She hissed.

Ghirahim stared at her blankly. It was true... Ganondorf did most of his own cooking. Though Ghirahim partly assumed that was due to not wanting to be poisoned... And yes, he did tidy everything and always left things as he found them... He did the chores weaker people were not able to do. He helped around the fortress with most things, and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

Ghirahim sagged, his whole countenance one of dejection.

"I was only created to serve my master." He whispered.

"Do you think you serve him well by being a useless loaf?" Twinrova tsked. "By picking petty fights with his friends, and family?"

Ghirahim mumbled something quietly, and had to repeat himself when Twinrova prodded him.

"No..."

The witch stared at him for a moment. A stray tear rolled down his face, and she leaned in to wipe it away.

"I think you have some food for thought now, yes?" She gave him a hard expression, almost daring Ghirahim to object. He simply nodded. "Good." She conjured up her broom. "Now get on behind me, so we can find our little faerie friend."

* * *

 

Freya wanted to cry. The monster was back, and there was no where she could run. She'd managed to outsmart it enough so that she could gain some distance, but it had cornered her by some ruins that stuck out of the sand. The walls were ancient, and littered with both Hylian and Gerudo words.

Freya was pressed with her back against a wall, unable to go any further. The large creature stared at her, not moving.

"W-What do you want..?!" She cried at it, her voice wavering.

The monster didn't move.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Freya screamed.

Again, the monster didn't respond. It regarded her for a moment before stepping closer. Freya panicked, trying to back away. Her feet scuffed against the sand uselessly, as the wall kept her trapped. She could try to run past it... Her heart hammered in her chest in a sickening tempo, tears rolling down her puffy face.

"Just... Let me go..!" She pleaded. "I won't tell anyone - just let me go!"

The monster stepped closer again, and Freya ducked her head down, screwing her eyes shut. This was it. She was to die here, alone in the desert. She would never see the mountains again. Never see her _friends_ again. Never see the **king** again.

Her train of thought derailed when the dusty flower crown on her head was plucked off. Her eyes opened curiously, and she nearly dropped to the floor when she saw that the monster was now wearing it...

Freya stared in disbelief, but was startled by the sudden sound of trampling sand - the king!

He was off the horse, and striding over within the blink of an eye. Before Freya had time to speak, she was no longer staring at the king.

Another monster had appeared, this time a gigantic pig-like beast. The already tall king stood nearly six feet taller, his feet now hooves, and his hands a pair of dangerous claws. Either side of his royal crown were a pair of threatening horns, both poised forward, and almost as long as his arms. His eyes glowed wickedly, and Freya noted his usually straight, slightly sharpened teeth were now row after row of jagged fangs.

Her feet found the strength to move again, and she rushed away while the other monster was distracted, gaining some distance. She stood by the king's horse, watching on in terror.

Freya had to cover her ears at the ear splitting roar that came from Ganondorf. The monster looked just as scared, and almost seemed to give the faerie an imploring look.

A familiar look.

"Wait..." Freya's heart raced, and she rushed over. "STOP!!!" Abandoning all sense, she grabbed the king's tail from behind, unsure what else to do to get his attention.

Ganondorf snarled, barely noticing her. He kept advancing on the monster, determined to end this once and for all.

Freya seethed in anger, and grabbing the first thing she could think of, threw the empty water bottle at him. Ganondorf actually seemed to pause, turning around to regard it with a strange kind of curiosity. Freya then picked it up, watching as the king's eyes followed it.

"Run..!" She mouthed, and the monster behind him did just that.

* * *

 

"I didn't think for a minute that the rumours were true."

"Were you impressed?"

"Try horrified..." Freya pouted, regarding the king with a cool look.

"Noted." He didn't mind the silence, but he could tell that the faerie was deep in thought, and in need of a vent. "So. Your mother is bewitched."

"It would seem so." Freya sighed. "I recognised her eyes. No one has her eyes - it was her. I know it." She muttered.

"I believe you, you do not have to convince me."

"But who would do such a thing? And if it wasn't her who attacked everyone - then who?!" Freya sniffed, her emotions getting the better of her.

Ganondorf stared at her, deciding not to mention that his men had indeed described an identical 'monster' to the one they'd just witnessed.

"I think I have a vague idea."

"Then tell me." Freya ordered. Ganondorf smirked at her forwardness, and obeyed.

"You say the faeries are all in forced servitude to the Royal Family, yes?" Freya nodded. "It seems to me that your mother was punished once someone was able to find her. Being a half faerie, even if they knew about your existence, you would be useless to them. There are a few very powerful sorcerers in the court. Princess Zelda herself can wield convincing disguises out of magic. Why force a faerie back to work, when you can just make an example?"

Freya growled angrily. "If this is Zelda's doing, I'll..." She huffed, deflating somewhat.

"You'll shoot an arrow at her neck, and hit her armpit?" Ganondorf chanced, grinning.

"Maybe I will!" Freya hissed.

"If my theory is right, she will also have been behind the attacks. It would not surprise me at all if the Royal Family issued an underhanded sneak attack." He lied. Telling the girl that her mother was a moblin killing beast wouldn't help matters.

And her reaction to the truth wasn't something he wanted either.

"And everyone says you're the monster." Freya spoke, bitterly. "Yet the Princess hides herself behind a pretty face, and a stupid dress and crown. She is worse than any of the horror stories about you."

"Horror stories? Oh, you flatter me." Ganondorf preened. Freya scoffed, shaking her head. "Tell me. Oh come now." He angled.

"You will not like it..." Freya stammered, one particular rumour surfacing in her mind, before the rest.

"Try me - I've heard them all before." He smiled. The faerie paused, and Ganondorf gave her a look. "Do I have to beg, faerie?" Freya blushed, and quickly turned her face away.

"In the mountains, they say you kidnap and rape women from every province, and that is why your moblin and bokoblin army is so varied, because you have sired hundreds, if not thousands of illegitimate, monsters..."

A heavy silence hung in the air.

"Well. I've never heard that one." Ganondorf finally said some time later. Freya looked at him sadly, tempted to pat his arm. She was just about to, when the king spoke again. "Do you believe that?"

"Do you think I'd have come to the desert when there were other provinces along the way?" The faerie tsked. "I heard bad things, but I also heard some good. The gossip is so conflicting, I just assumed all the bad things were hearsay. After all, who ever heard of a giant pig monster..."

"Who indeed..." The king smirked.

* * *

 

"Looks like he found her before we did." Twinrova stared down at the two of them below from her broomstick. Ghirahim whined sadly to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf is distractible against all sorts of weird items in the games. The fishing rod would've been more hilarious, but I couldn't think of any way that Freya could get her hands on one... XD  
> Maybe in another chapter...


End file.
